Mt. Fuji Incident
It was obvious to everyone that Emperor Yoshiro was the driving force behind the Rising Sun’s advance. Without him, the Empire might have resided in its isolationist slumber. Many bold plans were put forward to kill him and thus end the war. For the Allies, it was an impossibility. Assassinating a head of state was against Allied conventions, and plans to bomb the Tokyo Imperial Palace would have resulted in too many civilian casualties. War with the Empire, it seemed, would be based on open battle. The Soviet Union saw it differently. To them, the Emperor was a symbol of what they were fighting against; an old, dogmatic aristocracy ripe for usurpation. To kill him directly would be a favour to the Japanese people, and would allow the Soviets to once again turn on Europe, without interruption. Matters came to a head when Yoshiro announced he was leaving Prince Tatsu in charge of the war, while he went to his retreat at Mt. Fuji to rest and meditate, inviting Shogun Shinzo to join him briefly. In secret, a brigade of paratroopers was transported to the Chinese province of Jilin, where the controlling Red Chinese agreed to allow the use of an airstrip. Without the Empire any of the wiser, the Soviet paratroopers took off for Mt. Fuji. Force Composition Soviet Forces The 27th Guards Airborne Brigade was one of the Soviet’s most elite Spetsnaz units. Though it only consisted of infantry, they were trained and equipped to deal with a variety of threats. The average paratrooper was not necessarily better equipped than a Conscript, but his advanced and brutal training meant he was the superior of any line trooper, such as Imperial Warriors. Some were armed with flak cannons and RPGL-7s to deal with airborne or armoured threats, and to support them bears picked for their cooperation with being pushed out of a moving plane. Colonel Alexandr Dalimilovich commanded the Brigade and Spetsnaz, landing with the second wave. Premier Cherdenko was so adamant that the mission succeed that he sent Commander Davidova to oversee the operations. Though willing to jump with the rest of the troops, Davidova was considered too valuable to risk, and instead had to make do with a powerful radio from a long distance. This reduced Davidova's effectiveness by a great deal. Imperial Forces The Imperial Honour Guard followed the Emperor wherever he went. Usually they guarded the Tokyo Imperial Palace and its grounds, but they just as easily guarded the Mt. Fuji retreat. Hundreds of the finest warriors from Japan were chosen for this task, and to serve the Emperor like this could make the lowliest family of stable keepers into nobles. Striker Mechas piloted by hand-picked pilots known for their dignity not only protected against aircraft, but were ideal for lining parade routes. In addition, seven of the most skilled swordsmen in Japan guarded the Emperor with their lives. A man was found in Sapporo with an uncanny gift, which the Honour Guard quickly found a place for. Though not immediately apparent, he was the main defence against assassination against the Emperor. Yoshiro also insisted a particular object that usually rested directly underneath the Chrysanthemum Throne be transported to Mt. Fuji. This large but transportable object was to be used as a last resort, and only by the Emperor himself. First Wave Early before dawn, the first wave of Badger bombers flew off their airstrip and flew southwest towards Japan. The bombers had been specially modified with internal batteries and electric engines, and their propellers limited to subsonic tip speeds; they flew straight over several Imperial noise detection stations without drawing the attention of the sensitive machines. Without radar, the Imperial Navy did not detect the planes, but upon nearing the coast the formation was met with the autonomous Burst Drone network. They swarmed on the Badgers, attaching themselves and slowing them down until the formation completely disintegrated. Meanwhile each drone transmitted an alarm of incoming enemy bogies. Interceptors scrambled and shot down the slowed bombers. The remaining bombers without burst drones on them regrouped en route to Mt. Fuji, but the Honour Guard were already prepared. The sky was soon filled with rockets and falling Badgers as Striker-VXs unloaded their ordnance. Only a few planes dropped paratroopers, many destroyed in the middle of the process. The Spetsnaz were shot out of the air while still floating down, or decimated when they reached the ground, all without a single Rising Sun fatality. The first wave was wiped out in minutes. However, there were two survivors. Outside the wall of a compound where many of their comrades were slain, Spetsnaz Igor Petrenko and a particularly moody War Bear named Dovolno survived. They missed being discovered by the sweep of Imperial warriors by Petrenko having his parachute caught in a tree, and Dovolno hiding in a lake. Once the Warriors passed, Petrenko cut himself down and the two snuck past patrols to find a radio. Quietly talking into it, Petrenko was ordered by Davidova to complete the mission regardless of casualties. Reluctantly, man and bear set off to find the Emperor and kill him. Unbeknown to them, this job was made easier, as the rumour was out the Emperor’s geishas were going to bathe soon, so many eyes were on the waters of the compound. Astonishingly, the pair found the Emperor standing in the open, botching a calligraphy scroll. Seizing the initiative, Dovolno roared, and Petrenko shot him in the arm. However, the Honour Guard planned for this. The man was actually Kazutoshi Yamaguchi, a fish gutter from Sapporo, whose only interesting feature was that he had an uncanny resemblance to the emperor. Bemused Imperial Warriors rushed out and captured the two would-be assassins, while Yamaguchi's arm was tended to. Having served his purpose, he was put on a train back to Sapporo. Petrenko was taken to a dark room to be interrogated, and Dovolno was taken to a nearby pen for the amusement of the Emperor. Spirits of the Haunted Forest Colonel Dalimilovich quickly changed the plans. Instead of dropping on the Mt. Fuji complex, they’d instead join up with the third way and drop in Aokigahara forest. Though this was very risky, dropping amongst the trees was seen as a better alternative than dropping in anti aircraft fire. This turned out to be a no less dangerous choice. Though most of his men managed to drop unscathed, Dalimilovich was caught by his parachute and hanged. Davidova had to command the expedition alone, without the usual graphical commander’s interface. The usual scattering of paratroopers reduced the army to scattered bands; the thick forest prevented groups from seeing each other, and compasses would not work. However, soon the forest echoed with screams in the distance. As soon as they dropped, the Emperor’s main Zatoichi bodyguard, Kamzei, “sensed” the intruders, and told Yoshiro. Yoshiro ordered the seven Zatoichi to go and slay the gaijin intruders. They split up, except for Shimata and his young apprentice, Yatsushiro, and his old war companion, Shichiroti. Each one had different skill sets, and killed the Soviets in their own way. Gorotei was skilled with throwing his blades. Many Soviets fell when katanas suddenly flew from the thicket and impaled them, but a war bear sniffed him out and mauled him. Heihacho cut down large trees in one stroke, which fell on groups of Soviets, but he was shot dead by a Soviet sniper. Kyuro confidently and silently killed more Soviets than all the other Zatoichi combined, but a stray shot from an BAK-65 killed him. The Soviets report his death was a complete surprise to him. Most feared of all was Kituchizo. Screaming like a man possessed and wielding a blade larger than most men, he jumped from group to group, showing no concern for his own safety. Lacking on the noble birth of the others, he knew better how the common man’s mind operated, and did his best to fulfill Aokigahara’s reputation. Soviet groups heard screams in the distance, found grisly remains, and saw sinister shapes in the corner of their eyes. When Kituchizo was at last tracked down, he took three flak cannon hits before finally dying. The Soviets eventually cleared the forest with a third of their numbers gone. To this day, skeletons of Soviet soldiers are found in Aokigahara. Kamzei knew in open battle they would be cut down, so he and his remaining companions disappeared, confident the Emperor would be protected by the Honour Guard. Davidova considered the remaining forces more than enough to finish the mission, so the Soviets marched to the Emperor's retreat, the Honor Guard preparing to meet them. Meanwhile, Dovolno, left to her own devices because the Imperial Warriors assumed she was a common bear, broke out of her cage and sniffed out Petrenko’s trail. She found him, resisting his interrogation, and freed him. Once more together, they again snuck around the now empty complex. Bursting through an ornamental door that must surely lead to the Emperor’s private garden, the two instead found the Emperor’s geishas bathing. After a chaotic moment involving many kimonos being hastily thrown on, the geishas promised to do anything the two wanted, as long as they kept the incident secret; the shame of being seen by gaijin in such a state would mean suicide. Soon, Petrenko was being massaged and sipping sake, while Dovolno was being fed the finest salmon and getting thoroughly petted. Bonsai to Banzai The Honour Guard, now under the commander of Shogun Shinzo as a favour from the Emperor, took the airborne troops to be normal Soviet conscripts, and planned accordingly. While the walls of the palace were designed centuries ago merely to keep the occasional peasant out, the Honour Guard banked on the Soviets funnelling into the few entrances. The paratroopers, however, were amongst the best soldiers in the Red Army, and instead used charges to blow open the walls and storm in before the boom had left the Honour Guard's ears, as well as blowing up the instant generators powering the automated defences. Their defensive plan gone, the Honour Guard could only fight back against the onslaught. The Japanese again attempted to gain the tactical advantage by launching their Striker-VX, but the first one was downed before it had even changed into a Copter-VX. The remaining Strikers had to remain on the ground and use their missiles in a ground-to-ground function, which was possible but rarely used due to its ineffectiveness. The Strikers proved easy to get close and attach charges to, and even that proved unnecessary as many individual Spetsnaz climbed onto the mecha and shot the pilot in their cockpits. Soon all mecha were out of action. More effective was the old fashioned beam katana and bravery. In terms of ranged combat the Soviets and Japanese were on roughly equal terms, but paratroopers didn't carry the customary bayonet of conscripts. The Japanese used the maze-like construction of the gardens to ambush Soviet charges, rushing with their beam katana to disembowel the Spetsnaz before they realized what was happening. These were countered by throwing grenades around corners. The determination and experience of the Soviets was winning out, and the Emperor looked in mortal danger. Emperor Yoshiro watched from a tall building as the battle raged on. He was angry not only for his men dying, but the ancient gardens being trampled on and the holy Shinto temples being broken with bullets and flak. Sheathing his blade, he entered a small room and activated the computers with his voice print. A small elevator brought him down to a hangar that contained his means to end the battle. From a small outbuilding ignored by the Soviets, an all red King Oni, the Scarlet Chrysanthemum, burst through the wood and immediately strafed a group of Soviets in front of him. For the next several minutes, the Emperor's personal mecha, crafted to be even mightier than the normal King Oni, waded through the Soviets, killing any with his rocket pods or by smashing them. Any who attempted to throw charges on it were picked up and thrown at other Spetsnaz. Davidova was helpless to appraise the situation, and the Soviets were not armed to destroy this new foe. Many paratroopers surrendered, while all the others were killed. After only ten minutes, there were no more sounds of battle through the gardens. The Emperor disembarked and headed to the Geisha's chambers, hoping the women would relax him with a song or poem. Pleased with the victory he had achieved, he was thinking about how best to honour those who fell defending him. Upon sliding open the door, he was met with a very relaxed Petrenko and Dovolno. All three were stunned and looked at each other for a moment. Dovolno then raised on her haunches and slammed the Emperor through the paper walls of the building into the adjoining room, and Petrenko grabbed his rifle and emptied his clip into the room the Emperor was in. In the space of a few seconds, the Emperor was dead, and Petrenko had his revenge for the awful raw fish diet he suffered in prison. Aftermath The Empire Sun has yet to recover fully from this grave insult and attack. What was to be a moment of the Emperor's divine will overcoming gaijin vandals instead became his fall. The Japanese people did not fully know how to react. How could a god die in battle? Japanese subjects were angry, confused, and depressed. There was even a rise of mimicking Soviet culture, which in some circles still continues. It's no longer unknown to see a young woman in a babushka, or a school boy risking a cossack hat. It was a calming effect when Prince Tatsu took the Chrysanthemum Throne, if only for a short time, became Emperor, and vowed revenge against all foreigners. The body of Emperor Yoshiro was buried in a large tomb on Oki Island. The Greater King Oni Scarlet Chrysanthemum, Yoshiro's personal King Oni, was assigned to be a guardian of the Emperor's remains. Petrenko and Dovolno managed to escape with the Emperor's sword to the coast using stolen clothing; the chaos in Japan was so great no one noticed a hairy, four legged geisha running with a slightly less hairy man in a kimono. Stealing a boat, they sailed to Vladivostok, where General Davidova sent them to Moscow. There, they presented the sword to Premier Cherdenko. It now rests in the Museum of the Revolution in Moscow, in the single most heavily guarded room in the world; even the Mediterranean Syndicate's board room is less manned. It needs to be, for numerous Shinobi have attempted to steal it back. Petrenko was made a Hero of the Soviet Union, while Dovolno was retired to the Moscow Zoo with the highest honours a bear could receive. A movie is in the works about the two, titled "To Tame a Living God". The Imperial Honour Guard was replenished and began the task of guarding Emperor Tatsu. Eleven warriors were forced to commit seppeku for negligence in guarding Yoshiro, while three others did it on their own out of shame. Shogun Shinzo Nagama wished also to atone for his failure to protect the Emperor, but Tatsu convinced him he would better do that by continuing the fight. Tatsu also decided negatively afterwards about the Archer Maiden idea. These Archer Maidens were, in the end, more an attempt to turn Japanese girls back to their proper place than any serious defence measure. They had no set gear, though the Allies mistakenly thought they had a rather skimpy uniform. Field Marshal Bingham of Allied High Command is quoted as saying "And bloody good riddance!" in regards to the incident, but denies it. Still, the Allies did appreciate the disruption. On the California front, the death of the Emperor allowed the liberation of the town of Watts, while the Empire withdrew from Port Moresbey in New Guinea entirely. Hatred of the Soviets didn't allow the Red Army any such leeway, and indeed field officers noted increased attacks. Soon, the truth of the Archer Maiden uniform was revealed to be a mistake. An Allied spy who found the image thought it was a cover story from a respectable news magazine about these girls, but later analysis revealed it to be a simple girly magazine. Kamzei and his remaining comrades are rumoured to have briefly overlooked the town of Fujinomiya near Mt. Fuji. Watching the civilians get on with their lives despite the battle, Kamzei remarked that normal people are always the victors, not warriors. With that said, the three departed and were never seen again. Category:Battles